Neuropathology

Overview

Location

Neuropathology is located on the UW Harborview Medical Center campus  Seattle, WA USA

Contact

Lauryn Elder Administrative Specialist lelder1@uw.edu
 206.744.6776

The Neuropathology Division is an integral part of the University of Washington's Pathology Department and Neurosciences program. We provide diagnostic support to neurosurgery, neurology, neuro-oncology and ophthalmology clinical services throughout the affiliated University hospitals, as well as maintain an excellent training program.

The Neuropathology training program is maintained through daily discussions and specimen review, weekly brain cutting sessions, neuropathology conferences, and the Research in Progress Seminar. Our clinical interests span virtually all of diagnostic neuropathology, including developmental, ocular, muscle and peripheral nerve, degenerative, and surgical neuropathology.

The Neuropathology Division has active and well-funded research laboratories.  Our research interests include degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, particularly Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease, stroke, neoplasia, and epilepsy.

Two Open Positions: Neuropathology Fellowship 2026-2027

This two-year accredited training program provides full clinical service to University and Harborview Medical Centers and consultative service to Seattle Children's Hospital, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Puget Sound VA Medical Center. Over 1,700 surgical specimens and over 300 autopsies are evaluated each year. The program is designed to provide increasing responsibility using modern techniques to insure that the trainee is well prepared to practice all aspects of contemporary diagnostic neuropathology. Research is an important component of our program, and all trainees are encouraged to participate. Faculty in the Neuropathology Division have well funded research programs in developmental neurobiology, neurodegeneration, epilepsy, stroke, toxicology, and neoplasia. For additional information about the Neuropathology Fellowship at the Unversity of Washington, please contact Dr. Amber Nolan, Neuropathology Fellowship Program Director. 206.744.5445, nolanam@uw.edu. To apply, please visit https://dlmp.uw.edu/education/fellowship-application 

Requirements:  AP or AP/CP residency or AP/NP track. 

News & Announcements

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhDSeattle TV KOMO 4 News: Football & CTE.

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhD and Caitlin Latimer, MD, PhD: UW Medicine News: Study evaluates biomarker criteria for assessing Alzheimer's risk.

Drs. C. Dirk Keene, Desiree Marshall, Kelly Smith, and others established COVID-19 Biorepository and Research Consortium, a joint collaborative COVID-19 research initiative with UW, King County Medical Examiner's Office (KCME), Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office (PCME), Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office (SCME), and local hospitals.

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhD: UW Medicine News: The Tragedy and Promise of Matt's Brain.

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhDAlzheimer's Association, ALZ Magazine: Brain Donation: The 'Greatest Gift to Science'.

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhD: UW Medicine News: 17.2M grant explore link between aging eyes and brains.

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhD talks about long term effects of concussion and other head trauma on local media (video):

   KING 5 News
   KOMO News
   KIRO News

C. Dirk Keene, MD, PhD leads Traumatic Brain Injury Study funded by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. In a KOMO NewsRadio 1000am/97.9fm interview, Dr. Keene comments on largest study of CTE in football player brains.

Grants/Funding/Awards

2021 True-Brown Fellowship for Junior Faculty Development ($10K):  Amber Nolan, MD, PhD.

2021 Martin-Reichenbach Endowment Junior Faculty Award ($20K):  Amber Nolan, MD, PhDNeuroinflammation and Neural Circuit Dysfunction in Traumatic Brain Injury.

2020 Philanthropic Gift: The Koeplin Family Foundation is actively supporting the Neuro-oncology Brain Repository and research utilizing these tissues by Dr. Patrick (P.J.) Cimino and others to understand molecular evolution of the glioblastoma and neuroimaging-neuropathology correlations in honor of Patrick Koeplin.

2020 Philanthropic Gift: Bob and Linda Dahl (and hundreds of family and friends) are igniting the important work happening in the BioRepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) laboratory to study the late neuropathological effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in honor of their son, Matt Dahl.

2020 Philanthropic Gift: The Hill family, through a planned gift, is supporting the research of Dr. Caitlin Latimer, focused on understanding gene expression changes associated with pathological TDP-43 deposition in Alzheimer's Disease and brain aging.

Drs. Caitlin Latimer, Martin Darvas, and Monica Sanchez-Contreras, recipients of the UW Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Building Bridges Awards (BBA) for Creating Research Partnerships. Neuron-specific somatic mosaicism in brain regions susceptible to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Drs. Martin Darvas (UW Lab Medicine & Pathology) and Warren Ladiges (UW Comparative Medicine) have been awarded a new R01 grant as MPIs.  A geroscience approach for treating Alzheimer's disease.

Drs. Caitlin Latimer, Dong-Hui Chen, Luis Gonzalez Cuyar, Suman Jayadev, Wendy Raskind, Thomas Bird, C. Dirk Keene received Moore Award for best clinico-pathologic paper in neuropathology from American Association of Neuropathologists (AANP).  "Three Generations of Spinocerebellar Ataxia with Cognitive Decline:  Neuropathology and Potential Genetics"

Dr. C. Dirk Keene received the UW Distinguished Nelson Fausto Mentor Award.

Our Team 

C. DIRK KEENE, MD, PhD
Nancy & Buster Alvord Endowed Chair in Neuropathology
Director, Neuropathology Division

Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology 

Director and Vice Chair of Anatomic Pathology
Medical Director and Chief of Service for Anatomic Pathology, Harborview Medical Center 

Director (Physician Designee), UW Medical Center - Montlake & Harborview Medical Center Histology Laboratory Section
Section Head, Neuromuscular Pathology 
Associate Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

CAITLIN LATIMER, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology 

AMBER NOLAN, MD, PhD
Director, Neuropathology Fellowship Program 
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology 

KATHRYN SCHERPELZ, MD, PhD
Associate Director of Autopsy & After Death Services
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

ROBERT (BOB) MRAK, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology 

MARTIN DARVAS, PhD
Associate Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology 

MIN SHI, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

TESSANDRA STEWART, PhD
Acting Instructor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

REBECCA YODA, MD
Acting Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology